Murphy paused, "What do you mean?"
"The ancestor, the builder—Lady Milian, legend has it her power was like that of a god. Her magical power might meet the requirement for magic counteraction."
"But... after all these years, any magic in her bones should have dissipated..." Murphy said.
"No, not the bones," Maxim shook his head. "As the Empress has appointed you the Grand Shaman, you are entitled to know this. Lady Milian might not have died; she might just be in slumber."
Murphy was stunned, "What did you say?"
"It's said that Lady Milian is still alive," Maxim explained. "She was a prophetess. According to records, she would occasionally awaken over the past thousand years to provide us guidance."
...
The Ancestral Mausoleum.
This massive structure built inside a mountain, with its entrance through a forest known as the Holy Forest.
At this moment, several wizard teams were fighting the invaders within the forest.
They soon discovered something special about their enemies.
"Captain, these knights can resist magic!" reported an Arkaim battle wizard in shock, "Our spells have no effect on them!"
"Their armor is made of fire dragon skin!" another exclaimed. "Use elemental spells for indirect attacks—earth spikes, wind blades, or fire. Their armor cannot block fully-formed elements!"
"Or, you can use this." Suddenly, a man's figure appeared above the wizards, holding a strange black iron device.
The next moment, with a deafening roar, the dreadful device spat flames. In front of it, a barrage of bullets rained down like a torrential downpour, each drop capable of blossoming a spray of blood.
The black knights' dragon skin armor was pierced by the steel torrent, their limbs torn apart by the massive impact. Each knight was hit by at least a dozen bullets, nearly turning them into a mass of flesh.
In less than half a minute, there were no standing targets in the area.
The man landed, waving his hand to pile up various types of firearms on the ground, "Use these, they work well."
After saying that, Murphy left two Aurors to assist Arkaim's battle wizards in clearing the enemies, while he and Grand Shaman Maxim entered the mausoleum's gates.
"This path leads down, through a maze and several traps. There's a strong spatial lock in place, allowing only foot travel," Maxim explained. "The ancestral coffins are at the very bottom."
...
As Murphy headed deeper into the mausoleum,
Deep underground, in front of a huge stone door, Lady Yaga confronted several robed figures.
Three black-robed bodies lay on the ground, and Lady Yaga's arm hung limp, bleeding profusely.
"What do you want?" Lady Yaga coughed weakly, asking, "Arkaim hasn't faced an invasion in centuries; we have no enemies. Who are you?"
She faced the thorn-crowned cleric Murphy had seen from a distance.
He held a strange, cross-like wand in his hands.
"I am an echo, a duty, a punishment, a guardian," the cleric spoke with a soft, gentle voice, bizarrely coming from a male, "My mission must be completed. Cease your resistance; you are no match for me."
"Heh, big talk," Lady Yaga scoffed with a mocking laugh, "You've already lost. I can feel it; the Holy Wall has been reactivated. You're trapped in the city, unable to escape."
"I am omnipresent," the cleric replied, "All who worship me are my vessels. Losing one means there are more to come. But you have only one life. Step aside, and I shall spare you."
"You're not as strong as you claim," Lady Yaga countered, "Otherwise, you wouldn't waste so many words. The people here are likely all the forces you can muster openly. If I kill these puppets, you won't be able to send new ones in, so you're reluctant to lose them."
The cleric fell silent, seemingly hit by her words.
But he had arguments that could shake her, "Your duty is to protect the emperor. But Sofia Petrovna has been killed. My other disciple personally delivered the dagger into her heart."
"What... did you say?" Lady Yaga's body trembled.
At that moment, the cleric raised his cross wand, and the clerics behind him did the same. Several dark energies converged and transformed into a chain-like attack, aiming at Lady Yaga like a venomous snake.
Lady Yaga was startled, and several stone walls rose in front of her to block the chain. However, the spell's intensity was so high it pierced through the walls, nearly hitting Lady Yaga when suddenly, a green light flashed diagonally, "Avada Kedavra!"
Murphy's killing intent had reached its peak against these clerics, naturally holding nothing back.
But as the Killing Curse was about to hit the thorn-crowned cleric, one of his companions stepped aside to intercept it.
"Bang!" He was blown away by the spell, forcing the cleric to retract his attack on Lady Yaga.
"Murphy Darkholme," the thorn-crowned cleric turned to the newcomer.
But Murphy didn't waste words with him, instantly transforming into his demonic form and launching a lightning-fast attack.
"Bang!" The cleric raised a semi-transparent shield to block Murphy's attack but was still pushed back.
Murphy extended another clawed hand, raising stone spikes from the ground.
The cleric crossed his wand in front of his chest, expanding a spherical shield to block all attacks.
"Heretic!" the cleric glared at him, "You will face judgment!"
"Heh, judgment!" Murphy's black wings unfolded, the tips morphing into wand-like points, "Judgment my ass!"
In the next instant, more than a dozen Killing Curses were launched, hitting the shield. Despite the curse's inability to be blocked by Armor Spells, it couldn't penetrate this shield.
But Murphy immediately switched to explosive curses, bombarding the cleric like artillery.
Even as the spells forced the cleric to retreat repeatedly, they couldn't breach the protective film around him.
"You cannot break my defense," the cleric stated emotionlessly, "just as you cannot unravel my spells."
"Oh? Is that so?" Murphy suddenly called a weapon to his hand, a massive anti-tank sniper rifle.
As he loaded a huge, 30mm diameter bullet into the chamber, the rifle, entirely made of magical metal, lit up with numerous runes.
"This is what fear of insufficient firepower led me to create: the ultimate weapon, crafted from magical metal and piled high with 'Projectile Spell' enchantments. The bullet, made of a titanium-tungsten magical metal alloy, is enhanced with countless 'Durability' spells."
"Can gods bleed?" Murphy cocked the rifle, aiming at the divine shield before him.
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT